Pacific Business Center Program

No matter what your job is, too much work can be exhausting. When you overwork and it becomes extreme, it can move beyond tiring and pose a serious health risk for employees. Both primary types of exhaustion, mental and physical, can have negative consequences for your health and long-term well being.

Physical exhaustion is common especially to rank-and-file and other employees that take charge on labour jobs. It primarily refers to muscle tiredness. The causes of physical exhaustion are many, but for obvious reasons it is most pronounced in lines of work that involve a great deal of manual labour. Task like construction or shipping and receiving can lead to serious muscle fatigue, dehydration, and an increased risk of more serious injuries.

Due to its association with less “muscular” jobs some people might not think of mental fatigue as being as severe as physical fatigue. However, the effects on your health can be just as severe or worse. Mental fatigue can lead to anxiety, stress, and depression. The physical manifestations of mental fatigue, like muscle soreness and lack of energy can lead to musculoskeletal diseases and obesity

To an extent, exhaustion is to be expected from any job. Fortunately, there’s a study from researchers from the University of Virginia and Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a model for how employees should best distribute their efforts during the day to prevent fatigue.